don't try to follow me

i believe it was a sin to do you in the way i did you in, i couldn't stop it coming from afar
i lost the keys to the getaway car. and every now and then i'm in this place

Home properly, cleaned up and still scarred and wounded, but home. In a place still likely charred, pieces broken and broken people within. But it was still home. So he gets up willingly, even if he sways, Vai offering support from under his arm on his good side, and he clings to her as she details out the plan. Off to Zeph’s, and truly he’s unsure if he wants to go there and see the man after everything that had happened. But he doesn’t have a choice, does he? So he swallows hard and offers a shallow dip of his chin in a nod.

He begins to walk with her help, slow at first as his bones begin to hold up his weight, and he’s winded easily with the condition that he’d washed up in. But he continues to walk, silent when she says that he’s safe. “No.” He answers her simply. He doesn’t know that. Doesn’t feel like it. It feels like anyone could lash out at him now that he was weak. Feels like anyone could try and challenge him once he was better because of how he has faltered with his father.

Oh, but they didn’t know the strength that lingered in those bones, didn’t know just how cunning his father was. So he stares at his feet while he walks, focusing on where Vai guides him. “I don’t think it’ll hit me for a while, yet.”

it's hell living when i need your face. don't hide, don't hide, don't hide from me

SUNJATA

Vervain

"He isn't home. It's just us," Vai assures him, walking at Sunjata's pace and bracing against him whenever he falters. It takes longer than either of them are used to, but very slowly they emerge out of Rae's Fingers and up, onto the lonely stretch of beach. In some ways it's good that the Flood is so hunched in on himself; he won't draw as much attention with his height.

No, he says. He doesn't think he's safe - and Vai honestly can't blame him. "One day at a time," she agrees, giving him a reassuring squeeze and letting her hand gently press against his bloodied side as they walk, trickling healing magic into it to try and close the wound and make walking a little easier on him. "For today, at least, you're safe with me."

And though he might not see it, the look she flashes at any of the rare walkers on the beach proves as much; no expression has ever said fuck off quite so clearly as Vai's. Before they know it, the house on the beachfront is almost upon them, and Vai reaches into her pocket for her key. "Shower first, I think."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i believe it was a sin to do you in the way i did you in, i couldn't stop it coming from afar
i lost the keys to the getaway car. and every now and then i'm in this place

Relief swells through him, palpable with the way his shoulders continue to cave, with the way his steps paired with her help and healing grow a bit stronger, more certain, more determined. Get to Zephs, clean up, eat, go home. “Thank you.” He tells her simply, exhausted he may be but he does catch the glances thrown, like a mother bear protecting her wounded child. And it’s relieving, to be able to not have to defend himself right now when all he thinks he’d manage is collapsing in the sand.

He’s a mess, but rightfully so.

The house comes into view and he offers a low hum of agreement to the shower, stepping up onto the porch with both her help and him pulling himself up. And when she fishes out the key from her pocket to open it up, he sways slightly in place. He has half a mind to wonder if he’d even fit in the shower, given his height, but they’d make it work. He slips into the home when Vai’s ready, waiting for her to tug him to the shower (gods knew he didn’t know where he was going.) “I’m sorry for the mess in advance.” He apologizes offhandedly.

it's hell living when i need your face. don't hide, don't hide, don't hide from me

SUNJATA

Vervain

"No need to thank me, Jata. You've been through enough, you deserve some looking after. A lot of looking after." Vai's words are a touch distracted given that she's staring down some old fishwife with the intensity of a predator until she glances away, but they are nonetheless sincere. Quickly she unlocks the door, moving back to the Flood to guide him inside. The shower is outside, at the back of the house - not so surprising given the tropical nature of Torchline, and at least Sunjata won't have to climb stairs.

So out they go, Vai opening the door and leading them in, turning a tap to bring the warm water raining down a few feet in front of him. "Don't," she murmurs in response to his apology, smiling up at him. "Sunny, we've been terrified for you. The whole island thought you were dead. Knowing you're not... it's worth a little mess." Laughing, Vai hesitates to step away.

"Will you be alright? Do you need a hand getting clean?"

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"please stop you're scaring me" i can't help this awful energy

god damn right, you should be scared of me

He tries to let her words soothe and wash over him, even as it’s distracted by her glaring down a woman. If he wasn’t so fucked up and exhausted, he’d absolutely find it amusing. But the most he can do is glance back down to his feet as they trudge through the sand to the house, trying to keep the pounding of his head at bay.

He follows her and she turns the tap on to heat it up and Sunjata stills against the side of the shower, trying to debate whether he needed help or not while she speaks, casting a tired steel gaze back toward her. “Who did they want to win?” He asks, a cover for whether or not he was still welcome after that, or if he was heading into another section of mob territory. But he straightens out, steps forward to try and pull the shirt from over his head, and struggles to bend himself in the right way to remove it.

Sighing with the shirt stuck against him awkwardly, he casts a pitiful look toward Vai. “Please.”

who is in control?

SUNJATA

Vervain

Who did they want to win? Vai can't help the grin on her face at that, and if Sunjata was in any sort of state, she'd have punched him playfully in the arm. As it stands, Vai does nothing more than beam up at him. "You, you dummy," she says affectionately, reaching out to test the water before turning back to the Flood to find him struggling with his shirt.

"Alright, just stand still a second." She nods, purposely making nothing of it and reaching out to gently ease the shirt away from his side. From there it doesn't take much to draw it up and over his head, though Vai has to stand on her toes to even get close. And when she steps back, she can't help but wince. Bruises, cuts, punctures, and scrapes from the reef are just the beginning of the map of injuries on his body.

"Go ahead." She nods to the shower. "I'll go get some clean towels. If you need me, though, give me a call."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"please stop you're scaring me" i can't help this awful energy

god damn right, you should be scared of me

He breathes out a sigh of relief at that fact that they had wanted him to win. But it doesn’t help give him the ability to remove the shirt from over his head, thankful for Vai’s help when he manages to shrug out of it. The rest is easy, and when the warmth of the steam hits his exhausted, ruined body, Sunjata shivers. He hums a quiet thank you to her, before nodding as she departs, able to finally get a look at the wounds he’s sustained.

He steps under the shower, having to duck a small amount, letting the warm water wash away the salt and sand and blood that coated him still. He washes out his mouth again, washing his bruised and scraped hands before he pokes delicately at the wound on his face. He hisses with the soreness of it, but at least it’s knitted together and sore rather than open and bleeding. The rest of him isn’t much better, bruises and scrapes covering him, the puncture wound to his side that was in the process of getting healed up fully, still red and angry and painful to the touch.

And the rest? Well, he doesn’t miss the handprint shaped bruise on his arm, his heart lurching before he shrugs himself out of the fear and memory it sparks, to finish washing up and getting rid of the mess. The soap is nice, tropical and sweet in comparison to the scents he’s gotten used to adrift in the water, but it soothes him.

And when he’s done he isn’t sure how long it’s been. He simply shuts off the water and remains with his arms braced against the wall, letting the rest of the water drip from him as he finds the energy within him to move again, finding the energy to try and call to Vai.

who is in control?

SUNJATA

Vervain

It's been long enough. Long enough for Vai to get some soup on the stove to heat up, to brew tea, to gather towels and blankets and take out her first aid kit to patch him up ready to go home. She has no intention of keeping Sunjata from where he needs to be - and he needs to be with Nate - but the least she can do is make sure he's well enough to face whatever might be up there waiting for him.

The absence of running water is the clue she needs to head back out to the shower, a couple of towels folded over her arm. "How are you doing?" she calls out, opening the door without looking inside to silently hold out one of the towels for him. "I never thought I'd appreciate you smelling like mango and passionfruit," she remarks with a chuckle.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"please stop you're scaring me" i can't help this awful energy

god damn right, you should be scared of me

Vai is there soon after, not needing to call for her which he quietly thanks internally. He pushes himself off the wall to stand up a bit more fully, turning to the door that opens and snatches one to wrap around his waist, careful of the puncture wound over his hip. Once that’s done, he takes the other to rub along his face delicately, then his hair, stepping out and offering about as much of a smile that he can to her.

He breathes a quiet sigh as he steps out a bit more fully, covered up where it matters and allowing her the chance to guide him back inside. “Never thought I’d appreciate it too.” He assures her, quietly, roughly, his throat still sore. “I’m better now, though. Still sore. Hungry and thirsty. Tired.” He shrugs a bruised shoulder, casting his exhausted gaze back to her. But at least he looks better, right?

who is in control?

SUNJATA

Vervain

"And alive. And a lot more handsome, now you're clean." Vai tips him a wink as he emerges out of the shower, carefully taking his arm to guide him back indoors. She takes over the second towel as they head into the kitchen, nodding for him to take a seat in one of the chairs. On the table the first aid kit is open, and there's a cup of steaming tea as well as a jug of cool water. "Soup will be done soon," she says, carefully pressing the towel to his hair and down his neck.

"I'll patch you up best I can here, too," Vai continues, moving now to the other wounds that litter his body, patting them dry so she might bandage him up. "So that takes care of sore, thirsty and hungry. I think you can take care of tired when you get back up on the cliffs, though. If you fall asleep here, I'll have to load you into a cart to take you home myself."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"please stop you're scaring me" i can't help this awful energy

god damn right, you should be scared of me

A manages a quiet snort in response to her, unable to shake his head and deny her compliment like he wants to. So he takes her arm instead, takes the direction she gives to the seat and settles in. He focuses on the water first as she dabs away at his tattooed, bruised, wounded skin. He hisses a sigh as she dabs below his neck where a particularly purple bruise sits above the edge of the wing tattoos he sports on his shoulders.

He huffs a few more winces and hisses when she dabs at the other wounds, the biggest one being the hole in his side and a few scrapes and punctures that travel down his spine alongside healed shark bite wounds. “If you did that they’d really think I was dead, huh?” He retorts, managing to lift the tea to his lips to take a sip, casting a glance over to Vai with a raise of his brow.

who is in control?

SUNJATA

Vervain

"Mm, they would. And they're worried enough, so let's not, yeah?" Vai smiles to him, having drawn up a seat to pay particular attention to the wound on his side. "Okay - you enjoy your tea and I'll get you mummified." She doesn't waste any time, though most of it is spent on cleaning and bandaging up the puncture near his hip. Still, once she's satisfied that it's patched up, she does have time to take care of a few more of his scrapes, bites and cuts.

Unfortunately, though, there's really not much to be done for his face; Vai gently tilts up his chin to get a proper look at it now Sunjata is fresh out of the shower. "Snap," she remarks, raising her free hand to her own cheek, where the vibrant pink scar courtesy of Shaju is still healing. "At least you're in good company. How'd you feel now? Think you can stomach some food?"

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

"please stop you're scaring me" i can't help this awful energy

god damn right, you should be scared of me

“Good call.” He manages to rumble as he holds the tea between his hands, warming them up while she works. He tries to focus on the tea as opposed to the stinging pain of cleaning his wounds and everything else that came with it, but he can’t help the hisses of pain and the holding of breath in some spaces. “Thank you.” He murmurs to her, lips pressed against the glass before he tries to down more of it to distract himself.

And he lowers the glass when she gets to his face, turning his body more toward her, watching her as she inspects his scar. There isn’t much to be done but he does scan the scar on her face too, managing to twist his face into a frown that tugs and pulls on the sore side of his face. “Better.” He assures her, reaching up to clasp her hand gently in another thank you, before it drops back to the tea. “I’d like to try to eat something. No guarantees I’ll be able to keep it down, though.” He manages a hint of humor with this, a softer edged smile along his face.

who is in control?

SUNJATA

Vervain

"You're very welcome," Vai promises him, working quickly and dilligently to bandage him up, leaning in to kiss the top of his head when it's finally all done. "Mm, I hope we don't see it again. It'll be a shame on the soup, and it'll probably hurt you more," she points out, before stepping away to get him a bowl. Soon enough the soup is set down before Sunjata along with a hunk of bread; a rich broth with plenty of vegetables, just warm enough to be ready to eat.

Vai, of course, fetches some for herself as well, not wanting the Flood to have to eat by himself, though she does drop a blanket around his shoulders before she takes her seat. "Once we're done you'll have to try and help me find you something to wear. I don't know what you got fed growing up, but they don't make men quite so tall here." She winks.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!